The present invention relates to a method of processing a body having a surface of which at least a portion is vitreous and during which the vitreous region or regions of the surface become(s) activated. The invention includes processes in which organic materials are fixed to the thus activated surfaces, and extends to products made by the method and to apparatus for performing the method.
In general, in order to fix organic substances onto vitreous surfaces, it is necessary to use coupling agents capable of reacting with the vitreous material and with the organic substance. The most widely used coupling agents of this kind are organosilanes. These organosilane substances are used in numerous applications and can often provide a suitable bond between the organic substance and the inorganic vitreous material.
However, the use of organosilanes has a number of disadvantages. The most serious is that the bonds are relatively few or unstable in a moist medium, which is a considerable disadvantage when the body is intended for use in the external atmosphere and thus subject to weathering.